I'm not saying that this shitbag needed to be stopped from bleeding out, but watch where the officer keeps his tourniquet, and watch the difficulty he has applying it. Real world, gentlemen. Without a tourniquet, this crook would have been dead in under two minutes.

That's amazing considering that huge amount of blood on the ground like that.

We were trained in the Army before the advent of these carry-able tourniquets that a piece of rope, a shoelace even, or a belt can all be used as one. You'd have to use a stick or something else like that to crank it down tight enough.

Man, that was intense. Reason #721 I could never be a cop, having to deal with those shit bags. Sir, I'm dying, I'm dying...

When I took hunters ed, they told us if you choose to use a tourniquet, it is most likely going to happen that that person will lose the limb. Think before you use it. From a hunting perspective, chances are you will be out in the woods and miles from anyone.

Regarding tourniquets, they were very thoroughly discussed in a first responder (i.e., LE) aid class I attended a couple of years ago. The instructor, who was the head of the trauma department of a major Denver hospital, made several points.

It’s only been in relatively recent times that truly effective tourniquets have been developed, and they all use some sort of windlass tightening system. He quoted a report from the Civil War that originally pointed out that the buckle type tourniquets used through the Viet Nam War (and perhaps later) were essentially worthless. He also had quite a bit to say and demonstrate with graphic photos of war casualties about improvised methods. One in particular showed how ineffective one made of a thin piece of cord (shoelace, possibly) had been. If one must be improvised, a broader strap is necessary. C.A.T.s are 1 1/2 inches wide for a reason.

He also addressed the myths associated with tourniquets. I clearly remember being told in high school (50+ years ago) that they should be loosened periodically. That has been thoroughly discredited for a long time, but what is still believed is that they pose a great danger of limb damage. In the first place, of course, what’s better: limb muscle damage or death? A true “duh” question, but one that still gets people befuddled. To the point, though, he said that they can be left in place for hours as has happened in military situations without causing serious problems.

As far as carrying a tourniquet on one’s boot, I haven’t tried to research it myself, but does anyone know how that’s usually done? Are there special carriers for the purpose?

“Most men … can seldom accept the simplest and most obvious truth if it … would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions … which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabrics of their lives.”— Leo Tolstoy